42 U.S. Code § 15301 - Payments to States for activities to improve administration of elections

Not later than 45 days after October 29, 2002, the Administrator of General Services (in this subchapter referred to as the “Administrator”) shall establish a program under which the Administrator shall make a payment to each State in which the chief executive officer of the State, or designee, in consultation and coordination with the chief State election official, notifies the Administrator not later than 6 months after October 29, 2002, that the State intends to use the payment in accordance with this section.

(b) Use of payment

(1) In general

A State shall use the funds provided under a payment made under this section to carry out one or more of the following activities:

(A)Complying with the requirements under subchapter III of this chapter.

(G)Improving the accessibility and quantity of polling places, including providing physical access for individuals with disabilities, providing nonvisual access for individuals with visual impairments, and providing assistance to Native Americans, Alaska Native citizens, and to individuals with limited proficiency in the English language.

(H)Establishing toll-free telephone hotlines that voters may use to report possible voting fraud and voting rights violations, to obtain general election information, and to access detailed automated information on their own voter registration status, specific polling place locations, and other relevant information.

(2) Limitation

A State may not use the funds provided under a payment made under this section—

(A)to pay costs associated with any litigation, except to the extent that such costs otherwise constitute permitted uses of a payment under this section; or

(B)for the payment of any judgment.

(c) Use of funds to be consistent with other laws and requirements

In order to receive a payment under the program under this section, the State shall provide the Administrator with certifications that—

(1)the State will use the funds provided under the payment in a manner that is consistent with each of the laws described in section
15545 of this title, as such laws relate to the provisions of this chapter; and

(2)the proposed uses of the funds are not inconsistent with the requirements of subchapter III of this chapter.

(d) Amount of payment

(1) In general

Subject to section
15303(b) of this title, the amount of payment made to a State under this section shall be the minimum payment amount described in paragraph (2) plus the voting age population proportion amount described in paragraph (3).

(2) Minimum payment amount

The minimum payment amount described in this paragraph is—

(A)in the case of any of the several States or the District of Columbia, one-half of 1 percent of the aggregate amount made available for payments under this section; and

(B)in the case of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, or the United States Virgin Islands, one-tenth of 1 percent of such aggregate amount.

(3) Voting age population proportion amount

The voting age population proportion amount described in this paragraph is the product of—

(A)the aggregate amount made available for payments under this section minus the total of all of the minimum payment amounts determined under paragraph (2); and

(B)the voting age population proportion for the State (as defined in paragraph (4)).

(4) Voting age population proportion defined

The term “voting age population proportion” means, with respect to a State, the amount equal to the quotient of—

(A)the voting age population of the State (as reported in the most recent decennial census); and

(B)the total voting age population of all States (as reported in the most recent decennial census).

Subchapter III of this chapter, referred to in subsecs. (b)(1)(A) and (c)(2), was in the original “title III”, meaning title III of Pub. L. 107–252, Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1704, which enacted subchapter III of this chapter and amended section
405 of this title. For complete classification of title III to the Code, see Tables.

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 107–252, Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1666, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out below and Tables.

Short Title

Pub. L. 107–252, § 1(a),Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1666, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter and chapter
1526 of Title
36, Patriotic And National Observances, Ceremonies, and Organizations, amending sections
405,
1973ff,
1973ff–1,
1973ff–3,
1973gg–6, and
1973gg–7 of this title, section
438 of Title
2, The Congress, sections
3132 and
7323 of Title
5, Government Organization and Employees, section 8G of the Inspector General Act of 1978, Pub. L. 95–452, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, and section
1566 of Title
10, Armed Forces, and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections
1973ff–1 and
1973ff–3 of this title and section 8G of the Inspector General Act of 1978, Pub. L. 95–452, set out in the Appendix to Title 5] may be cited as the ‘Help America Vote Act of 2002’.”

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